Skilled workers ensure excellence
In conjunction with Labour Day, the Human Resources Ministry is committed to building human capital so Malaysia can achieve developed nation status by 2020
THE Labour Day theme “A skilled workforce propagates national excellence” is apt and timely, given the government’s focus to build human capital that can help the country achieve its aspiration of becoming a developed nation by 2020.
The theme is in line with the first thrust of the Human Resources Ministry’s strategic plan, which is to produce competent and competitive workers to fulfil Malaysia’s economic needs.
Ministry secretarygeneral Datuk Dr Mohd Gazali Abas says the aim is to create 1.5 million jobs, of which 60 per cent will require Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) qualifications.
“TVET is a vital platform to increase the number of skilled workers in the country. We are targeting a 35 per cent skilled workforce by 2020. In fact, we anticipate that by 2023, three million jobs will require skilled workers,” he says.
Based on data from the Statistics Department, the country’s skilled manpower during the fourth quarter of last year stood at 27.2 per cent, an increase of 2.6 per cent compared with 2014.
Currently, skilled manpower comprises 31.5 per cent of the nation’s workforce. The majority are semi-skilled workers, who make up 60.5 per cent, while non-skilled workers are the least, comprising only eight per cent.
To realise the 35 per cent skilled workforce target, Gazali says several initiatives have been carried out.
They include the setting up of Pembangunan Sumber Manusia Bhd, an agency under the ministry to train and upskill workers.
The workers are given the opportunity to undergo TVET training at 534 skills training institutes nationwide.
Those who have no formal training, but with years of working experience, can get their skills certified through the Recognition of Prior Experiential Learning programme. To date, more than 300,000 workers have been certified.
The ministry is also devising a TVET masterplan, which will oversee the demand and supply of TVET courses to produce workers who are adept to Industry 4.0. Recently, the government has launched the MyApprenticeship programme, an initiative under the National Blue Ocean Strategy. MyApprenticeship places youths and women in public and private companies to help them gain skills and expose them to working experience.
“The government has targeted one million participants in this programme. The trainees will benefit from hands-on training, and we can reduce the number of unemployed youths,” said Gazali.
As industries move towards modernisation and advanced technology, the demand for skilled workers keeps growing, while the dependency on semi-skilled workers is expected to decrease.
The government will always encourage the utilisation of technology and automation to increase demand for skilled workers.
Reliance on unskilled foreign labour will gradually be reduced and currently, it has been capped to no more than 15 per cent of the country’s manpower. With this, the government is confident of achieving its 35 per cent target of a skilled workforce by 2020.
However, there is always the outstanding issue of fair wages, especially when companies refuse to pay salaries that commensurate with the workers’ skills.
“To resolve this, the ministry has implemented a minimum wage for all sectors, that is RM920 for Sabah and Sarawak, and RM1,000 in the peninsula,” says Gazali.
“We also have a guideline of starting salaries for 160 selected occupations based on the national skill certification levels.”
Another important issue, says Gazali, is the quality of the training programmes.
To improve the delivery of skills courses and increase their graduates’ marketability, TVET programmes will be accredited by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency and the National Skills Department, and written instructional materials will be standardised.
Training centres will be upgraded to centres of excellence, with emphasis on emerging skills.
Industry-institution collaborations will be expanded. Professional recognition will be given to graduates via the Malaysian Board of Technologies (MBOT) to attract students to enrol in TVET courses.
The ministry is also working towards the development of skilled teaching staff.
A database will be created to profile the teaching manpower and identify competency gaps. The latest e-profiling has found a competency gap of 16,000 instructors nationwide.
The government has never neglected the welfare and wellbeing of the nation’s workers.
Gazali says besides raising the retirement age to 60 years due to the population’s longer lifespan, the government is also planning to amend the Employment Act 1955 to protect more workers.
Social Security Organisation (Perkeso) coverage will be extended to all, regardless of the salary drawn. The insured contribution ceiling will be increased from RM3,000 to RM4,000.
This move is expected to benefit an additional 500,000 workers, raising the number of workers covered to 6.5 million.
Through Pembangunan Sumber Manusia Bhd, lifelong-learning opportunities have been opened up to 2.21 million workers last year compared with1.68 million in 2010.
This learning incentive will help workers develop a specific skill to increase their expertise, advance their careers and earn better income.
The ministry, through its Occupational Safety and Health Department, has implemented the Occupational Safety and Health Master Plan (OSHMP) 2016-2020 to create awareness about workplace safety, and reduce incidents of death, accidents and health problems.
“The implementation of the previous OSHMP 2011-2015 has successfully reduced workplace accidents from 41,593 cases in 2010 to 38,753 cases in 2015,” says Gazali.
“The death rate has also been lowered from 6.45 in 2010, to 4.84 in 2015.”
This year, the government has introduced the Employment Insurance System (EIS) to help retrenched workers, therefore ensuring that they have something to tide them over in the event of difficulties.
“With the scheme, workers who lose their jobs will receive a stipend while they undergo a reskilling process to find new jobs. The scheme provides job-seeking and matching services, career counselling and training,” says Gazali.
As of April 20, the Human Resources Ministry has received 6,602 claims and paid compensation to 4,204 beneficiaries.